Control apparatus, control method, program and system

ABSTRACT

A control apparatus is provided, which includes: a processor; and a memory device that stores instructions to be executed by the processor, the memory device including a determination section that determines a control command according to sensor information, on the basis of a control rule capable of being set by a user for determining the control command controlling a device, and a control section that controls the device in accordance with the control command determined by the determination section, wherein the control rule specifies a first stage and a second stage, the first stage outputting a plurality of independent first values based on a plurality of first input values from a plurality of different types of sensors, and the second stage outputting a command if a second value based on the plurality of first values meets a predetermined condition.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit as acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/404,575,entitled, “Control Apparatus, Control Method, Program and System”, filedFeb. 24, 2012, which claims priority to Japanese Priority PatentApplication JP 2011-075764, filed in the Japan Patent Office on Mar. 30,2011, the entire content of each of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a control apparatus, a control method,a program and a system.

In recent years, sensors have been mounted in various household productswith the miniaturization and price reduction of sensor devices. Forexample, an illuminance sensor is mounted in an image display device inorder to control the brightness of a backlight depending on thesurrounding brightness. In addition, a motion sensor is mounted in anair conditioner in order to detect a persons location and adjust theairflow rate and the air direction thereof.

These sensor devices are mounted in order to realize functions of thedevice main body such as the adjustment of a backlight of an imagedisplay device or the adjustment of the airflow rate and the airdirection of an air conditioner. However, in the future, systems may beproposed which are capable of providing a more convenient and safer lifeto a user by connecting a device in which a sensor is mounted to anotherdevice, and notifying another device of its own sensor information.

For example, Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3136714 disclosesthat even when the device main body is in a halting state, sensorinformation detected from a sensor included in a device is speciallyused by notifying another device of the sensor information.

In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2009-206750 discloses that when sensor information received from aplurality of sensors is displayed on a plurality of display devices, aprogram for converting the corresponding sensor information into aformat capable of being displayed is selected in each of the displaydevices. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2009-206750 discloses a program for adapting a motion of apseudo-character displayed on the display device on the basis of thesensor information to a motion of a sensor information sender so thatthe sensor information can be confirmed as a motion of the sensorinformation sender in each of the display devices.

SUMMARY

However, Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3136714 discloses atechnique for specially using a piece of sensor information, but doesnot disclose the use of the sensor information from a plurality ofsensors at all. In addition, the special use of the sensor informationdisclosed in Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3136714 is a processwhich is set in advance, and is not able to be freely customized by auser.

In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2009-206750 discloses a display of each sensor's information as thespecial use of the sensor information, but does not disclosedetermination of a control for another device on the basis of values orcombination of the sensor information. In addition, the selected programis set in advance, and is not able to be freely customized by a user.

Consequently, it is desirable to provide a novel and modified controlapparatus, a control method, a program and a control system which arecapable of setting control of a device according to sensor informationby a user, and capable of making user's life more comfortable.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda control apparatus including: a determination section that determines acontrol command according to sensor information, on the basis of acontrol rule capable of being set by a user for determining the controlcommand controlling a device; and a control section that controls thedevice in accordance with the control command determined by thedetermination section.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure,there is provided a control method including: storing a control rulecapable of being set by a user for determining a control commandcontrolling a device in a storage section; determining the controlcommand according to sensor information on the basis of the control rulestored in the storage section; and controlling the device in accordancewith the control command determined by the determination section.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure,there is provided a program that causes a computer to execute: a processof storing a control rule capable of being set by a user for determininga control command controlling a device in a storage section; a processof determining the control command according to sensor information onthe basis of the control rule stored in the storage section; and aprocess of controlling the device in accordance with the control commanddetermined by the determination section.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure,there is provided a control system including: a sensor; and a controlapparatus including a determination section that determines a controlcommand according to sensor information received from the sensor, on thebasis of a control rule capable of being set by a user for determiningthe control command controlling a device, and a control section thatcontrols the device in accordance with the control command determined bythe determination section.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure as describedabove, it is possible to set a control of a device according to sensorinformation by a user, and to make user's life more comfortable.

Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will beapparent from the following Detailed Description and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an overall diagram illustrating a control system according toa first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram illustrating a control apparatusaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure ofsensor device information according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure ofsensor information according to first embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example the data structure of acontrol rule according to first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the controlrule according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a control rulemodule according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of thresholds of the controlrule module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control commandaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example at the timeof creating the control rule according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the controlrule module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the controlrule module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a control process according tothe first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control ruleaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is an overall diagram illustrating a control system according toa second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a block configuration diagram illustrating the control systemaccording to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings todescribe preferred embodiment of the present disclosure in detail.Meanwhile, in the specification and the drawings, components havingsubstantially the same functional configuration are assigned the samereference signs, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, the description will be made in the following order.

1. Outline of Control System According to First Embodiment

2. Detailed Description of Control System According to First Embodiment

(2-1) Configuration of Control Apparatus

(2-2) Configuration of Control Rule

(2-3) Setting of Control Rule

(2-4) Control Process

3. Control System According to Second Embodiment

4. Conclusion

1. OUTLINE OF CONTROL SYSTEM ACCORDING TO FIRST EMBODIMENT

First, an outline of a control system according to a first embodiment ofthe present disclosure will be described. The control system accordingto the embodiment is composed of various types of sensors, devices to becontrolled, and a control apparatus 100, and various types of sensorsand the devices to be controlled are connected to the control apparatus100. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, as various types of sensors, amotion sensor 21, a temperature sensor 22, an illuminance sensor 23, anda GPS sensor 24 are connected to the control apparatus 100, and as thedevices to be controlled, an image display device 51, an air conditioner52, and a computer 53 are connected to the control apparatus 100.Herein, various types of sensors may be provided independently of otherdevices, and may be mounted in other devices for providing otherfunctions. For example, various types of sensors may be a motion sensormounted in the image display device 51, and may be a temperature sensormounted in the air conditioner 52.

In addition, various types of sensors, the devices to be controlled andthe control apparatus 100 are connected to each other by networks suchas, for example, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and PLC (PowerLineCommunications), or a combination thereof.

The control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment acquires sensorinformation detected by various types of sensors, and determines acontrol command according to the acquired sensor information, on thebasis of a control rule which is set in advance. Next, the controlapparatus 100 performs controls of devices such as an ON/OFF control ofthe image display device 51 connected to the control apparatus 100, atemperature level adjustment control of the air conditioner 52, and anemail transmission control through the computer 53, in accordance withthe determined control command.

In this manner, the control system according to the embodiment controlsthe devices in accordance with a plurality of sensor information items,thereby allowing a user's life to be made comfortable. In addition, thecontrol rule can be created or changed at a user's discretion, and thusit is possible to freely customize the control of the device accordingto the sensor information, and to make a user's life more comfortable.

Meanwhile, the control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment may bedisposed on a home network. Since the home network is a communicationnetwork that connects various types of sensors and devices installedwithin a home, the control apparatus 100 is able to acquire sensorinformation from various types of sensors through the home network, andcontrol the devices. Further, a communication device for connecting theInternet may be provided on the home network, to acquire sensorinformation from a sensor located outside the home network. The sensorlocated outside the home network may be a GPS sensor provided in aportable terminal device such as a cellular phone, a PDA (PersonalDigital Assistant), or a handheld game machine.

2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM ACCORDING TO FIRST EMBODIMENT

Next, reference will be made to the drawings to describe the controlsystem according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure indetail.

[2-1. Configuration of Control Apparatus]

First, the configuration of the control apparatus 100 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the control apparatus 100includes a sensor information acquisition section 11, a sensorinformation accumulation section 12, a control command determinationsection 13, a control rule accumulation section 14 and a device controlsection 15.

The sensor information acquisition section 11 acquires sensorinformation and sensor device information from various types of sensors.For example, the sensor information acquisition section 11 acquiresinformation on the presence or absence of a person from the motionsensor 21, temperature information from the temperature sensor 22,illuminance information from the illuminance sensor 23, andlatitude/longitude/altitude information from the GPS sensor, as sensorinformation.

The sensor information accumulation section 12 is a recording mediumthat accumulates the sensor information and the sensor deviceinformation acquired by the sensor information acquisition section 11.The sensor device information is information indicating attributes of asensor device such as the type, the output contents, and theinstallation location of the sensor device. In addition, the sensorinformation is information indicating a detection result by varioustypes of sensors. Hereinafter, specific configurations of the sensordevice information and the sensor information will be described withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

(Sensor Device Information)

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific data structure example ofthe sensor device information. As shown in FIG. 3, the data structure ofthe sensor device information is composed of an ID, a type, an output, aunit, a device name, a location, and an active state. Herein, the ID isa unique ID (sensor ID) for managing the sensor device information inthe sensor information accumulation section 12. The type is a type ofthe sensor. The output is content indicating a value output by thesensor. The unit is a unit of the value output by the sensor. The devicename is a name of the device in which the sensor is mounted, or a nameof the sensor device itself. The location is a location at which thedevice is placed. The active state means discovery/separation(true/false) of the sensor. For example, the sensor device informationof which the ID is “S001” indicates that the type is “motion sensor”,the output is “the presence or absence of a person”, the unit is“-(none)”, the device name is “TV”, the location is “living room”, andthe active state is “true”.

Meanwhile, the type, the output, the unit, and the device name in thedata structure are invariable parameters for each sensor device. Theseinvariable parameters may be previously registered with the sensordevice, and may be registered with a server on the network. The controlapparatus 100 may acquire these invariable parameters from the sensordevice, and may acquire the invariable parameters from a server on thebasis of the model number or the like incorporated in the sensor device.

In addition, the information on the location is information for easilyidentifying each of the sensors, but may be omitted. However, when thereare a plurality of identical device names, each of the devices can beidentified by the location information, and thus the locationinformation is preferably included in the data structure andaccumulated. For example, in a home provided with a plurality of TVs(televisions), it is difficult to identify whether it is a TV in aliving room or a TV in a study room, just by the device name “TV”, andthus it is preferable that the location information is input by a user.

In addition, the separation of the sensor can be detected by notifyingthe control apparatus 100 of the separation by the sensor, when a powersupply of the sensor is turned off or when the connection to the controlapparatus 100 is blocked. Otherwise, when the control apparatus 100makes an inquiry from the home network, and the sensor discovered at thetime of a previous inquiry is not discovered, the separation can bedetermined.

(Sensor Information)

Next, sensor information accumulated in the sensor informationaccumulation section 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG.4 is a diagram illustrating a specific data structure example of sensorinformation. As shown in FIG. 4, the data structure of the sensorinformation is composed of an ID, a sensor ID, a timestamp and a value.Herein, the ID is a unique ID (sensor information ID) for managing thesensor information in the sensor information accumulation section 12,the sensor ID is an ID (sensor ID) of the sensor in which thecorresponding sensor information is detected, the Timestamp is adetected time and date, the value is a detected numerical value. Forexample, the sensor information of which the ID is “D001” indicates thatthe sensor ID is “S001”, that is, a motion sensor of a TV placed in aliving room when referring to the sensor device information shown inFIG. 3, the Timestamp is “2010/10/12 08:03:00”, and the value is “1”.

Meanwhile, the acquired sensor information is accumulated as time-seriesdata on the basis of the Timestamp, and thus the sensor information canbe displayed as a graph or displayed as statistical data. In addition,in the control apparatus 100, when only the latest data is necessary,data in which the sensor ID is identical and the timestamp is obsoletemay be deleted from the sensor information accumulation section 12.

Herein, the description of the configuration of the control apparatus100 is repeated with reference to FIG. 2. The control rule accumulationsection 14 constituting the control apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 is arecording medium that accumulates the control rule for determining thecontrol command. The detailed description of the control rule will bemade in “2-2. Configuration of Control Rule”.

The control command determination section 13 determines the controlcommand on the basis of the sensor information accumulated in the sensorinformation accumulation section 12, and the control rule accumulated inthe control rule accumulation section 14.

The device control section 15 controls each of the devices by outputtingthe control command determined in the control command determinationsection 13 to the devices to be controlled.

[2-2. Configuration of Control Rule]

Next, the control rule will be described. The control rule is a rule fordetermining the control command according to the sensor information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the specific data structure of thecontrol rule. The control rule is composed of a plurality of elementrules, and each of the element rules specifies a logical connectionrelationship (input and output relationship) of the sensor, the controlrule module, the control command and the like. More specifically, eachof the element rules includes an ID, a rule ID, From, and To, as shownin FIG. 5.

The ID (identification) is an ID for uniquely identifying each of theelement rules. The rule ID is an identifier of the control rule to whichthe element rule belongs. It is known that, for example, the elementrules “C001” to “C007” shown in FIG. 5 are associated with the rule ID“R001”, and thus these element rules belong to the control rule of whichthe rule ID is “R001”.

In addition, From indicates an input source of data, and To indicates anoutput destination of data. For example, the element rule “C001”belonging to the control rule “R001” shown in FIG. 5 specifies thecontrol rule module “M001” as a data output destination of the sensor“S006”.

FIG. 6 shows a diagram in which the IDs and the like of the elementrules are added to a conceptual diagram of the control rule having thedata structure mentioned above. As shown in FIG. 6, the sensor, thecontrol rule module and the control command are logically connected toeach other by each of the element rules constituting the control rule.Hereinafter, the sensor, the control rule module and the control commandwill be respectively described.

(Sensor)

The sensors are various types of sensors that actually measure thesurrounding environment. FIG. 6 shows a door sensor of which the sensorID is “S006”, a motion sensor of which the sensor ID is “S001”, and anilluminance sensor of which the sensor ID is “S004”.

(Control Rule Module)

The control rule module determines a value based on one or two or moreinput values in accordance with a predetermined rule, and outputs thedetermined value. For example, each control rule module has a threshold,and outputs a value based on the input value and the threshold. As suchcontrol rule modules, FIG. 6 shows the control rule module “M001” thatoutputs a value based on the input value from the door sensor, thecontrol rule module “M002” that outputs a value based on the input valuefrom the motion sensor, the control rule module “M003” that outputs avalue based on the input value from the illuminance sensor, and thecontrol rule module “M004” that outputs a value based on the inputvalues from the control rule modules “M001” to “M003”.

Herein, FIG. 7 shows an example of the conceptual diagram of the controlrule module. The control rule module shown in FIG. 7 outputs one outputvalue (y) with respect to a plurality of input values (x1, x2, . . . ,xn). In addition, the control rule module shown in FIG. 7 calculates thetotal sum of the input values, and determines whether the total sum ofthe input values is larger than a certain threshold (th). The controlrule module outputs 1 when the total sum of the input values is th ormore, and outputs 0 when the total sum thereof is less than th.

It is possible to realize more complex control rule modules byconnecting such control rule modules to each other in a multiple-stagemanner as shown in FIG. 6.

The data structure of the above-mentioned control rule module will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating thespecific data structure of the control rule module. The control rulemodule includes an ID and a threshold as shown in FIG. 8. Herein, the IDis a unique ID (module ID) for managing the control rule module. Thethreshold indicates a predetermined rule for outputting a value based onthe input value in each of the control rule modules. For example, thecontrol rule module of which the ID shown in FIG. 8 is “M001”corresponds to the threshold of “S==1”, and thus outputs a value basedon whether the total sum of the input values is 1. Specifically, thecontrol rule module outputs 1 when the total sum of the input values is1, and outputs 0 when the total sum thereof is other than 1. Meanwhile,all the values input from the sensor are expressed as numeric data. Forexample, “open/close” indicating the output value of the door sensorS006 shown in FIG. 6 are respectively expressed by “1/0”, and“presence/absence” indicating the output value of the motion sensor S004are respectively expressed by “1/0”.

(Control Command)

The control commands are various types of control commands forcontrolling the device indicated by the command ID (A001). The datastructure of the control command will be described with reference toFIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the datastructure of the control command. As shown in FIG. 9, the data structureof the control command is composed of an ID and an action. Herein, theID is a unique ID for managing the control command. In addition, theaction indicates the content of the control. For example, the controlcommand of which the ID is “A001” indicates that the action is“notification by email”.

[2-3. Setting of Control Rule]

The above-mentioned control rule may be set by new create or change by auser. Reference will be made to FIG. 10 to describe a GUI (GraphicalUser Interface) for allowing a user to create the control rule.Meanwhile, such a display control of the GUI may be performed by thedevice control section 15 of the control apparatus 100 (display controlsection).

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a screen transition of a GUI forallowing a user to create the control rule. The application executingsuch a control rule creation GUI may be a PC application, and may be aWeb application operating on the browser. Herein, in the course of thecontrol rule creation, a list of various types of sensors that send thesensor information to the control apparatus 100 is displayed, or thecreated control rule is accumulated. Therefore, the device executingeach of the applications mentioned above is preferably a device having aconfiguration which communicates with the control apparatus 100, or adevice which is integral with the control apparatus 100.

a. New Control Rule Creation

A screen 70 shown in FIG. 10 is a creation screen of a new control rule.Three menus of “sensor list”, “module” and “control command” aredisplayed on the screen 70.

b. Sensor Selection

First, a user selects “sensor list” from the menus displayed on thescreen 70. When “sensor list” is selected, a sensor list 721 capable ofbeing used by a user is displayed as shown on the screen 72. The sensorlist 721 is generated on the basis of the sensor device informationaccumulated in the sensor information accumulation section 12 of thecontrol apparatus 100. In this case, as icons indicating various typesof sensors displayed on the sensor list 721, icons based on the devicename of the sensor device information are displayed, thereby allowingdiscriminability of the device to be enhanced. In addition, an iconwhich is registered in advance by a user may be displayed. When an iconis selected from the sensor list 721 by a user, the icon indicating theselected sensor is displayed on the screen 74.

c. Module Addition 1

Next, “module” is selected from the menu. When “module” is selected, anicon 741 indicating the control rule module is displayed as shown on thescreen 74. A user associates the control rule module with an arbitrarysensor of the sensors displayed on the screen 74. For example, when theuser drags and drops a mouse from the sensor to the control rule module,an arrow is displayed between the sensor and the control rule module,thereby allowing both of them to be associated with each other. Inaddition, the type of the select control rule module can be selected.The selection of the type of the control rule module will be describedin the following “d. Module Addition 2”.

d. Module Addition 2

A user further selects “module” from the menu, thereby allowing thecontrol rule module to be easily added. For example, as shown on ascreen 76 of FIG. 10, control rule modules 761 to 763 are added, andeach of the sensor and the control rule module 741 are associated witheach other. In this way, the control rule modules are associated witheach other in a multiple-stage manner, thereby allowing more complexcontrol rule modules to be realized.

Herein, the selection of the type of the select control rule module willbe described. It is possible to select control rule modules, forexample, shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 in addition to the control rule moduleshown in FIG. 7. Each of the control rule modules will be describedbelow.

The control rule module shown in FIG. 7 has one threshold, but thecontrol rule module shown in FIG. 11 has two thresholds, or th1 and th2.That is, the control rule module shown in FIG. 11 outputs one outputvalue (y) with respect to a plurality of input values (x1, x2, . . . ,xn). In addition, the control rule module shown in FIG. 11 calculatesthe sum of a plurality of input values (x1, x2, . . . , xn), anddetermines whether the total sum of the input values is equal to or morethan th1 and less than th2, less than th1, or equal to or more than th2.When the total sum of the input values is equal to or more than th1 andless than th2, 1 is output. When the total sum of the input values issmaller than th1 or equal to or more than th2, 0 is output.

The threshold (evaluation function) of the control rule module shown inFIG. 12 is a sigmoid function. That is, in the control rule module shownin FIG. 12, y is output in accordance with the expression shown in thediagram on the right of FIG. 12. In this manner, while the output valuey of the above-mentioned expression shown in FIG. 7 or 11 is set to twovalue of 0 or 1, the output value y of the expression shown in FIG. 12is set to a continuous value from 0 to 1.

Next, a user sets thresholds of each of the control rule modules. Forexample, the thresholds as shown in FIG. 8 are set to each of thecontrol rule modules.

In this case, the threshold which is easily comprehended by a user maybe displayed in accordance with the output contents of the connectedsensor. For example, when the door sensor is associated with the controlrule module, the numerical value is input from the door sensor, but“open” or “closed” can be selected on the screen 76 in accordance withthe output of the door sensor shown in FIG. 3.

e. Control Command Addition

Next, “control command” is selected from the menu. When “controlcommand” is selected, a control command list capable of being selectedby a user is displayed. For example, as shown in a screen 78 of FIG. 10,a control command list 781 is displayed. The control command instructsoperations, capable of being executed by the device to be controlled,such as a startup operation of the air conditioner and an ON/OFFoperation of the TV. The device to be controlled receiving the controlcommand discovered in advance by the control apparatus 100, and isregistered. When a user selects an icon from the control command list781, an icon 801 of the selected control command is displayed on thescreen. Herein, information necessary to the control command may beinput. For example, when the control command of “notification by email”is selected, an email address of a notification destination is input.

f. Control Rule Accumulation

Subsequently, a user associates the icon of the control commanddisplayed on the screen with the control module. For example, when theuser drags and drops a mouse from the control rule module 741 to theicon 801 of the control command, the control rule module 741 and theicon 801 of the control command are connected to each other by an arrowas shown on a screen 80 of FIG. 10, thereby allowing the control rulemodule and the control command to be associated with each other. Thecontrol rule created in this manner is accumulated in the control ruleaccumulation section 14.

In addition, the order in which the control rule is newly created inaccordance with the screen shown in FIG. 10 has been described in theabove-mentioned example. On the other hand, when the control ruleaccumulated in the control rule accumulation section 14 is changed,addition, deletion or change of the arrows indicating addition, deletionor association of the sensor, the module, and the control command isperformed on the control rule shown on the screen 80. Thereby, a user isable to freely customize the control rule using the GUI.

As described above, the user freely performs the creation and the changeof the control rule, thereby allowing the control rule to be set.Meanwhile, the control apparatus 100 includes a communication sectionthat transmits and receives the control rule to and from another controlapparatus, thereby allowing a user to use the control rule created byanother user by quotation or change thereof. In addition, the controlrule accumulation section shared with another control apparatus may beused through the above-mentioned communication section. Meanwhile, whena user does not want to share the control rule, accumulated in theabove-mentioned shared control rule accumulation section, created byuser's self with another user, the user may not open the control rule toanother user by setting the right of access to such a control rule.

[2-4. Control Process]

Next, the procedure of the control apparatus 100 will be described withreference to a flow diagram shown in FIG. 13. Herein, the process in thecontrol apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is described, but the same is trueof a process in a control apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 15.

First, in step S301, the control apparatus 100 discovers and separates asensor connected to the control apparatus 100. In the discovery of thesensor, the sensor notifies the control apparatus 100 of the connection,for example, when the sensor is connected to the control apparatus 100,thereby allowing the control apparatus 100 to discover the sensor.Otherwise, the control apparatus 100 makes an inquiry periodically, andwhether the sensor is connected may be confirmed.

Next, the sensor information acquisition section 11 of the controlapparatus 100 acquires the sensor device information (see FIG. 3) of thediscovered sensor, and accumulates in the sensor informationaccumulation section 12. In addition, “active” of the data structure ofthe sensor device information of the discovered sensor is set to “true”.On the other hand, when the sensor is separated (when the sensorpreviously discovered is not discovered), “active” of the data structureof the sensor device information is set to “false”.

Next, in step S302, the sensor information acquisition section 11acquires the sensor information (see FIG. 4) from the discovered sensor.In the acquisition of the sensor information, the sensor information maybe periodically transmitted from each of the sensors, and the sensorinformation may be periodically inquired of each of sensors from thesensor information acquisition section 11.

Sensor collection acquired from each of the sensors is accumulated inthe sensor information accumulation section 12 similarly to the sensordevice information.

Next, in step S303, the control command determination section 15acquires the control rule matching the sensor information accumulated inthe sensor information accumulation section 12, from the control ruleaccumulation section 14. The control rule matching the sensorinformation is a control rule in which “active” of the sensor deviceinformation is “true”, relating to a sensor having “timestamp” within xseconds (for example, within 60 seconds) from the current time. Thesensor having “timestamp” within x seconds from the current time istargeted, thereby allowing obsolete sensor information to be excluded.Alternatively, when the sensor information acquisition section 11acquires the sensor information at the time of the change in thenumerical value detected by the sensor, and accumulates the sensorinformation having a latest timestamp in the sensor informationaccumulation section 12, the sensor information accumulated in thesensor information accumulation section 12 may be targeted regardless ofthe current time.

For example, when the current time is 2010/10/12 08:05:00, and thesensor device information shown in FIG. 3 and the sensor informationshown in FIG. 4 are referenced, it is known that the sensors, in which“active” of the sensor device information is “true”, having “timestamp”within 60 seconds from the current time are the motion sensor S001, theilluminance sensor S004 and the door sensor S006. Therefore, the controlcommand determination section 13 acquires the control rule relating tothe motion sensor S001, the illuminance sensor S004 and the door sensorS006 from the control rule accumulation section 12.

Next, in step S304, whether to establish the relationship of all thecontrol rules is determined from the control rule relating to each ofthe above-mentioned sensors. For example, when the values of the doorsensor, the motion sensor and the illuminance sensor are input as in acontrol rule shown in FIG. 14, whether a control rule capable ofdetermining the control command can be established is determinedMeanwhile, the data structure of the control rule shown in FIG. 14 isthe data structure shown in FIG. 5, and the diagram in which aconceptual diagram such a control rule is added to the ID of the datastructure is as shown in FIG. 6.

Next, when the control rule can be established in step S304 mentionedabove, in step S305, the control command determination section 13determinates the control command on the basis of the established controlrule. Hereinafter, the determination of the control command based on thecontrol rule will be described with reference to the control ruleexemplified in FIG. 14.

The control command determination section 13 inputs the sensorinformation of the door sensor to the control rule module, anddetermines “open/close”. In the case of “open”, “1” is output.Similarly, the control command determination section inputs the sensorinformation of the motion sensor to the control rule module, anddetermines “presence/absence”. In the case of “absence”, “1” is output.In addition, the sensor information of the illuminance sensor is inputto the control rule module, and whether the input “numerical value (unitLx) indicating brightness” is “150 Lx or more” is determined by thecontrol rule module. In the case of “150 Lx or more”, “1” is output.

Herein, in the control rule shown in FIG. 14, the control rule module iscomposed of two stages. That is, of the control rule modules shown inFIG. 14, each control rule module which outputs a value based on theinput value from various types of sensors is located at the formerstage, and the control rule module which outputs a value based on theinput value from each control rule module of the former stage is locatedat the latter stage.

The control rule module of the latter stage determines whether the totalsum of the input values from each control rule module of the formerstage is “3 or more”. The control rule module of the latter stageoutputs “1” when the of the total sum of the input values is “3 ormore”, and outputs “0” when the total sum thereof is other than “3 ormore”.

Subsequently, returning to FIG. 13, the description of step S306 ismade. In step S306, the control command determination section 13determines whether the output value obtained by the execution of thecontrol rule in step S305 mentioned above is 1. When the output value is1, the control command determination section 13 determines the controlcommand to be present, and the process proceeds to step S307. On theother hand, when the output value is 0, the control commanddetermination section determines the control command not to be present,and thus the process proceeds to step S308.

Next, in step S307, the device control section 15 executes the controlcommand determined by the control command determination section 13. Anexample of the execution contents indicated by the control command is asshown in FIG. 9. According to the control command determined by thecontrol rule shown in FIG. 14, the email notification is executed. As anexecution method of the email notification, the device control section15 may perform the control so as to cause a computer connected to thecontrol apparatus 100 to transmit an email to an email addressdestination which is registered in advance, and the device controlsection 15 may transmit an email by itself to the email addressdestination which is registered in advance. In this manner, for example,when a person is not present in the living room in the case where theentrance door is opened, and the electric light in living room is turnedon, it is possible to notify a user, by an email, to the effect that theelectric light in the living room is turned on.

On the other hand, in step S308, whether to satisfy the terminationconditions is determined Returning to step S302 when the terminationconditions are not satisfied, the process is terminated. The terminationconditions correspond to a case where there are instructions from auser, a case where there are some errors, or the like.

3. CONTROL SYSTEM ACCORDING TO SECOND EMBODIMENT

[3-1. Outline]

Next, a control system according to a second embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described. The control apparatus 101 according to theembodiment is connected to a plurality of home networks through theInternet. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a control system is proposedin which a sensor information transfer gateway 30 disposed in a homenetwork 200, a sensor control gateway 40 disposed in a home network 500,and the control apparatus 101 are connected to each other throughInternet 300.

As shown in FIG. 15, the home network 200 is a domestic home networkwhich is connected to the motion sensor 21, the temperature sensor 22,the illuminance sensor 23, and the sensor information transfer gateway30.

As shown in FIG. 15, the home network 500 is a domestic home networkwhich is connected to the image display device 51 which isON/OFF-controlled, the device to be controlled such as the airconditioner 52 in which the temperature level adjustment control isperformed, and the sensor control gateway 40.

Sensor information from the GPS sensor 24 mounted in a cellular phoneterminal is transmitted to the control apparatus 101 through theInternet 300. In addition, the control apparatus 101 and a computer 54are connected to each other through the Internet 300.

[3-2. Configuration]

Next, the configuration of each of the devices will be described withreference to FIG. 16. First, as shown in FIG. 16, the control apparatus101 includes the sensor information acquisition section 11, the sensorinformation accumulation section 12, the control command determinationsection 13, the control rule accumulation section 14, the device controlsection 15 and a communication section 16.

The communication section 16 transmits the control command output fromthe device control section 15 to the device to be controlled through theInternet 300. Another configuration of the control apparatus 101 is thesame as the configuration described in the first embodiment, and thusthe detailed description herein will be omitted.

The control apparatus 101 having the above-mentioned configuration maydirectly transmit a control command, performing the separation from thehome network, such as an email transmission command of the controlcommands to a device to be controlled without the sensor control gateway500. For example, the control apparatus 101 transmits the emailtransmission command to the computer 54 having an email transmissionfunction. Alternatively, the control apparatus 101 may execute the emailtransmission through the communication section 16 included in thecontrol apparatus 101.

As shown in FIG. 16, the sensor information transfer gateway 30 includesa communication section 31 and a sensor information acquisition section32.

The sensor information acquisition section 32 acquires sensorinformation from various types of sensors. The communication section 31transmits the sensor information acquired by the sensor informationacquisition section 32 to the control apparatus 101. The sensorinformation transfer gateway 30 may collectively transmit the sensorinformation acquired from various types of sensors to the controlapparatus 101.

In addition, various types of sensors and the sensor informationtransfer gateway 30 on the home network 200 may be connected to eachother through ZigBee which is a low-power-consumption near fieldwireless communication standard. In addition, the sensor informationtransfer gateway 30 and the control apparatus 101 on the Internet may beconnected to each other through the Ethernet.

As shown in FIG. 16, the sensor control gateway 40 includes acommunication section 41 and a device control section 42.

The communication section 41 receives a control command from the controlapparatus 101. The device control section 42 sends the received controlcommand to the device to be controlled. The sensor control gateway 40and the control apparatus 101 on the Internet may be connected to eachother through the Ethernet. In addition, the device to be controlled andthe sensor control gateway 40 on the home network 500 may be connectedto each other through ZigBee which is a low-power-consumption near fieldwireless communication standard.

In this manner, a plurality of home networks and the control apparatus101 can communicate with each other through the Internet, and thus thecontrol apparatus 101 can controls a device disposed on another homenetwork in accordance with the sensor information of the sensor disposedon the home network. For example, it is possible to sense the livingconditions of parents who live separately using the motion sensor andthe like, and to monitor the conditions. In addition, the conditions ofa remote location are sensed, thereby allowing alert notification to beperformed when abnormality occurs.

Further, it is possible to have easy access to the control apparatus 101from the outside of the home network by disposing the control apparatus101 on the Internet. For example, it is possible to easily monitor thedomestic conditions from the outside of a home through portable terminaldevices such as a cellular phone and a smartphone.

4. CONCLUSION

As described above, according to the control system of the presentdisclosure, it is possible to collect sensor information from a sensor,and to determine a control command according to the acquired sensorinformation, on the basis of a control rule which is set in advance. Inaddition, since a user is able to freely create and change the controlrule, it is possible to provide a control system for making a user'slife more comfortable.

In addition, according to the control system of the present disclosure,the control rule can be composed of control rule modules which determinean output value on the basis of sensor information from one or moresensors. In addition, the control rule module can determine the outputvalue by comparing the total sum of information from one or more sensorswith a threshold which is set in advance. In addition, the control rulemay be configured by the combination of the control rule modules in amultistage manner.

In addition, according to the control system of the present disclosure,the control apparatus may include a communication section for sharingthe control rule with another user. Thereby, a user is able to use acontrol rule previously created by another user in the user's ownenvironment only by selecting the control rule. In addition, it ispossible to easily customize the control rule for user's self bychanging the control rule created by another user.

In addition, a user is able to create an original control rule in asimple procedure by using a GUI for creating or changing the controlrule.

In addition, in the control system according to the above-mentionedsecond embodiment, although the home network 200 connected to varioustypes of sensors and the home network 500 connected to the devices to becontrolled have been described as an example of a separate home network,the control system according to the present disclosure is not limitedthereto. For example, various types of sensors and the devices to becontrolled may be disposed on one home network. In this case, a gatewayto be connected to the Internet is disposed on such a home network, andcommunication with the control apparatus on the Internet from thegateway is performed. Such a configuration of the gateway has aconfiguration of the sensor information transfer gateway 30 and aconfiguration of the sensor control gateway 40 mentioned above.

As stated above, although the preferred embodiments of the presentdisclosure have been described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Itshould be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the procedure of thecontrol system is shown in FIG. 13, but the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the discovery and the separation of thesensor in step S301, or the sensor data acquisition in step S302 may beindependently executed as a separate process.

In addition, the procedure of the control system may be periodicallyexecuted at regular intervals, and may be executed in a separate processof acquiring sensor information, using the acquisition of the sensorinformation as a trigger.

Meanwhile, the present disclosure may include the followingconfigurations.

-   -   (1) A control apparatus including: a determination section that        determines a control command according to sensor information, on        the basis of a control rule capable of being set by a user for        determining the control command controlling a device; and a        control section that controls the device in accordance with the        control command determined by the determination section.    -   (2) The control apparatus according to the above (1), wherein        the control rule specifies a logical connection relationship of        a sensor, a control rule module that specifies a relationship        between an input value and an output value, and the control        command.    -   (3) The control apparatus according to the above (2), wherein        the control rule specifies a multiple-stage connection        relationship of the control rule module.    -   (4) The control apparatus according to the above (2) or (3),        further including a display control section that displays        objects indicating the control rule module, the sensor, and the        control command at the time of setting the control rule, and        causes the user to select each of the objects.    -   (5) The control apparatus according to any one of the above (2)        to (4), further including: a communication section that        transmits and receives the control rule to and from another        control apparatus; and a control rule accumulation section that        accumulates the control rule.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present subjectmatter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is thereforeintended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appendedclaims.

The invention is claimed as follows:
 1. A control apparatus comprising:a processor; and a memory device that stores instructions to be executedby the processor, the memory device including a determination sectionthat determines a control command according to sensor information, onthe basis of a control rule capable of being set by a user fordetermining the control command controlling a device, and a controlsection that controls the device in accordance with the control commanddetermined by the determination section, wherein the control rulespecifies a first stage and a second stage, the first stage outputting aplurality of independent first numerical values based on a plurality offirst input values from a plurality of different types of sensors eachindependently meeting a respective first condition in response tosensing, wherein each of the first plurality of independent firstnumerical values output from the first stage are in a range from 0 to 1,and the second stage outputting a command if a second numerical valuecalculated from an arithmetic equation using the plurality ofindependent first numerical values as inputs meets a predeterminedsecond condition.
 2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe control rule specifies a logical connection relationship of at leastone of the sensors, a control rule module that specifies a relationshipbetween an input value and an output value, and the control command. 3.The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first and secondstages are part of a multiple-stage connection relationship of thecontrol rule module.
 4. The control apparatus according to claim 2,further comprising a display control section that displays objectsindicating the control rule module, the at least one of the plurality ofsensors, and the control command at the time of setting the controlrule, and causes the user to select each of the objects.
 5. The controlapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a communicationsection that transmits and receives the control rule to and from anothercontrol apparatus; and a control rule accumulation section thataccumulates the control rule.
 6. A control method comprising: setting acontrol rule with a first stage and a second stage, the first stageconfigured to output a plurality of independent first numerical valuesbased on a plurality of first input values from a plurality of differenttypes of sensors each independently meeting a respective first conditionin response to sensing, wherein each of the first plurality ofindependent first numerical values output from the first stage are in arange from 0 to 1, and the second stage configured to determine a secondnumerical value calculated from an arithmetic equation using theplurality of independent first numerical values as inputs and output acommand if the second numerical value meets a predetermined secondcondition; storing the control rule on a storage section of a memorydevice; determining via a processor a control command according tosensor information on the basis of the control rule stored in thestorage section; and controlling the device in accordance with thecontrol command.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein setting the controlrule includes specifying a logical connection relationship of at leastone of the sensors, a control rule module that specifies a relationshipbetween an input value and an output value, and the control command. 8.The method of claim 7, wherein setting the control rule includes settinga multiple-stage connection relationship of the control rule moduleincluding the first stage and the second stage.
 9. The method of claim7, wherein setting the control rule includes displaying objectsindicating the control rule module, the at least one of the plurality ofsensors, and the control command.
 10. The method of claim 9, whichincludes causing the user to select each of the objects.
 11. The methodof claim 6, which includes transmitting and receiving the control ruleto and from another control apparatus, and accumulating the controlrule.
 12. A non-transitory computer readable medium that causes acomputer to execute: a process of storing a control rule capable ofbeing set by a user for determining a control command controlling adevice in a storage section, wherein the control rule specifies a firststage and a second stage, the first stage outputting a plurality ofindependent first numerical values based on a plurality of first inputvalues from a plurality of different types of sensors each independentlymeeting a respective first condition in response to sensing, whereineach of the first plurality of independent first numerical values outputfrom the first stage are in a range from 0 to 1, and the second stagedetermining a second numerical value calculated from an arithmeticequation using the plurality of independent first numerical values asinputs and outputting a command if the second numerical value meets apredetermined second condition; a process of determining the controlcommand according to sensor information on the basis of the control rulestored in the storage section; and a process of controlling the devicein accordance with the control command.
 13. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 12, wherein the control rule specifies alogical connection relationship of at least one of the sensors, acontrol rule module that specifies a relationship between an input valueand an output value, and the control command.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first and secondstages are part of a multiple-stage connection relationship of thecontrol rule module.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 13, which causes the computer to execute a process of displayingobjects indicating the control rule module, the at least one of theplurality of sensors, and the control command at the time of setting thecontrol rule.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim15, which causes the computer to execute a process of causing the userto select each of the objects.
 17. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 12, which causes the computer to execute a process oftransmitting and receiving the control rule to and from another controlapparatus, and accumulating the control rule.